The rise of a scientific world outlook in ancient Greece, and the development of agriculture, manufacturing, and trade that prepared its way.
“This is the only history of ancient Western materialism by an American.…written by a man who understands and believes in this spirit of his subject.” —InternationalBibliography of Philosophy
“Of course he stresses social and economic conditions, but is not narrowly doctrinaire; he can pay tribute to the positive contributions of the great leaders of ancient idealism and defend them against the attacks of ‘narrow-minded’ Marxists.”—The Classical World
“Examines the first steps in the development of the materialist conception of the world.” —Research Book News
“His claim is that materialism is not a matter of theory but of fact proved by practice.… the book is an honest attempt to retrace the earliest developments of the materialist world outlook. Simple and clearly written.”—Choice